What cut of beef for jerky do you use?

[braggscowboy]

Grand kids love jerky and I would like to buy beef, all is pretty high for jerky, but I have used roasts before and works pretty well. Are there other cuts that are cheaper and will work just as well? Will a trimmed brisket work? I have a large dehyderator and can make a large batch at one time. What seasoning do you like on yours? I have mixed my own and it had a liquid base and was messy. Have friends that buy the pre mix and really like it. Thanks!

[ace admirer]

anything that is easy to cut fat away from.....deer is great.....

basically liquid smoke, soy sauce soak in freg for 24 hours then drain.

[next1]

Liquid smoke? No offense but I hope you are aware that's full of genotoxic stuff (primary product AM 01)... they just published this study in 2010.

[pogitondo]

That's what I buy at the local Mexican market. Sliced wafer thin,easy to trim what little fat there is. I think it is from the knee-cap? Catch it on sale for $2.49 a pound.

[||Downhome||]

anything with no to low marbling. preferably none.

in todays world that could mean more per lb., no fat means healthy and that means more money.
from my school of thought though it means dry tasteless beef! so I guess its all on your market as I would more then be willing to pay more for a nice marbled steak then one with too much fat or none at all. but that is for cooking not jerky.

spices well soy is a main constituent in most recipes, I like to use a little sweet stuff too
helps just as much as salt to draw off the moisture with out making a salt stick. honey,molasses,brown sugar,fruit juice not all at the same time nor to much at least equal to half the salt taste. they also compliment each other. salt and sugar that is. brings out all the spice flavors. what ever else depends on the mood, hot pepper flake,fresh peppers,black pepper,little garlic and onion powder would be my main go to's.

Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning is a good all around spice mix (watch out adding soy though its got salt in it if I remember right.) you could try a few things like that too.

liquid smoke is not really necessary even if you do it in the oven or a dehydrator, get ya a tinderbox thats what I call it,they sell them and a hard wood sawdust for adding smoke flavoring on a gas grill, you can get the dust or small chips and make a foil pack too. basically finish it up on the gas grill is what I'm saying, just put one burner on and put the wood container over the high side and close it up and let it smoke a little.

if your using a smoker no need to worry bout that.

[woodsy]

I like the Top Round steaks for jerky. On sale of course, last ones were $1.99 lb.
Did up 4 lbs , 1/4 slices cut across the grain, more tender that way i think.
Some cut with the grain.
Its fun to make your own marinades, plenty of recipes on google and elsewhere.
Teriyaki marinade right out of the bottle or use soy sauce and add your own ingredients
like downhome posted.

[tinknal]

I usually use flank and round. Veinison really is good. Try to mooch some roasts off your deer hunting friends.

[Conhntr]

I only take one deer a year any more, and almost all of it ends up jerky!

[suzyhomemaker09]

Originally Posted by next1

Liquid smoke? No offense but I hope you are aware that's full of genotoxic stuff (primary product AM 01)... they just published this study in 2010.

No AM 01 ( whatever that is ) in the bottle of liquid smoke I have...

[mightybooboo]

Originally Posted by tinknal

I usually use flank and round.

Ditto

[7thswan]

Besides all the flavorings... cut your meat when slightly frozen,much easier. If you get chunks,or too thick of a piece ,pound it out. Jerky shooters are fairly reasonably priced and make it easier. You grind the meat and put it in and squeeze it out-looks like a caulking gun. Consistent thickness for ease of drying and easier to eat for the teeth.

[Reb]

Mornin All. I use the tenderloins (backstrap) of the deers. If I want some out of season, I use caught-on-sale London Broil. Semi-froze and sliced to 1/4", marinade overnight, take out and hung by toothpicks on the oven rack with tinfoil underneath to catch drops on the counter. Usually let it hang for about 4 hours then put in the oven (175 degs or as low as possible), still hanging from the rack. Dry for about 5 hours, leave the oven door cracked a little to let moisture out. Then enjoy, doesn't last long at my house. Take care, Reb

[braggscowboy]

Can do the deer, no problem, but the grandkids eat it quickly, would like to buy beef along. Some good suggestions. About anything works well as long as it is lean. I have a commercial dehyderator that came from a sold out apple orchard and it has about 22 drawers with two heaters and fans. Will do lots at one time. I have done the liquid like I said, but is messy. Will try the dry mix, I think this time. Keep the good ideas comming, and thanks!

[next1]

Originally Posted by suzyhomemaker09

No AM 01 ( whatever that is ) in the bottle of liquid smoke I have...

Well, they are not going to tell you that!
It's the main ingredient of what makes the liquid smoke "be like"... smoke.
It's the smoke of the beech wood that passes through a solvent and then is mixed up with water. The problem is the solvent that they use; that has been established in the beginning of 2010 that this so called "primary product AM 01" is carcinogenic. That's what genotoxicity is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genotoxicity

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_smoke

[ace admirer]

Originally Posted by next1

Liquid smoke? No offense but I hope you are aware that's full of genotoxic stuff (primary product AM 01)... they just published this study in 2010.

no offense taken,,,i have no idea what you're talking about......

[rabbitgeek]

Mother Earth News had an article for making all natural jerky marinades.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-...-Children.aspx

I made jerky using the basic recipe which was soy sauce based and it was delicious.
Other variations are in the article.

Have a good day!
Franco Rios

[MO_cows]

We use ground meat for jerky, you can roll it out thin and cut into strips or else use an extruder, which we have. Looks like a caulking gun. Our ground beef is lean enough, and using ground meat means the cure and seasonings can get all the way thru the meat. I use the cure from Hi Mountain (www.himtnjerky.com)and some of their seasonings and some of our own. Their garlic pepper seasoning is very good, or soy sauce and a little brown sugar makes teriyaki flavor. Mix up and let cure overnight, then make the strips and bake/smoke/dehydrate the meat the next morning.

[sammyd]

we use whatever is cheap.
Last batch was from a couple of arm roasts.

[Laura Zone 10]

Originally Posted by braggscowboy

Grand kids love jerky and I would like to buy beef, all is pretty high for jerky, but I have used roasts before and works pretty well. Are there other cuts that are cheaper and will work just as well? Will a trimmed brisket work? I have a large dehyderator and can make a large batch at one time. What seasoning do you like on yours? I have mixed my own and it had a liquid base and was messy. Have friends that buy the pre mix and really like it. Thanks!

Top Round or Bottom Round, which ever is leaner, and on sale.
I have the butcher slice it 1/4 of an inch thick.
I use ALL ORGANIC (Whole Foods) Liquid Smoke / Worchestershire Sauce / Soy Sauce / Fresh Garlic / Fresh cracked pepper corns / Kosher Salt / Garlic Powder / Onion Powder. (my own recipe)
Cut the meat into strips.
Put in freezer style double zip, ziploc bag.
Mix the marinade in bowl.
Dump in bag.
Marinade for 24 hours, turning bag every time I get in the fridge.

4 lbs of bottom round ends up being right at 2 lbs of jerky.

I just started making jerky, at my son's request, a month ago. Still tweaking the time in the dehydrator and recipe. The batch I did last week, was the best (so says the young man).
I use a 9 tray Excalibur, set on 155 degrees, for 6 hours.

[jwal10]

I make jerky out of any meat, lean and no gristle. Turkey, beef, elk, venison, chicken, tuna, stergeon and salmon. I like rough ground also, small patty, mashed thin. Works well. I marinate 24 hours using honey, brown sugar, maple syrup, apple juice, some mixed, some alone along with spices we like. Smoked in a smoker and then dehydrated....James